1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a camera capable of magnetically recording photograph information on a film, more specifically to a camera having a magnetic head for recording or reproducing the photograph information on or from a magnetic record section.
2. Related Background Art
Recently many proposals have been made in which there is used a film with a magnetic record section of a stripe shape on or from which there is recorded or reproduced photograph information such as the date when a photograph is taken and the size of a photograph screen and a camera has therein a magnetic head for recording or reproducing the photograph information. More specifically, there is proposed as one of the proposals the technique in which a magnetic head is retracted from a film traveling path in sending of the film to surely send the film in a camera using a film patrone for automatically sending out the distal end portion of the film, that is, in an automatically loading type camera in which a spool of a loaded film patrone is rotated in a direction opposite to a rewinding direction to automatically send out the distal end portion of the film from the patrone.
That is, it is disclosed in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 200130 of 1991 that a magnetic head is stopped at a position retracted from a film traveling path by activating means utilizing a spring charge when a film patrone is loaded in a camera and the stopper of the magnetic head is released such that the magnetic head contacts a magnetic record section of the film when film distal end detecting means disposed on the film traveling path between the magnetic head and a winding spool detects a film distal end portion.
In the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1622 of 1992, it is disclosed that perforations of a film are counted and when it is determined from the count that the film is wound on a winding spool a magnetic head retracted from a film traveling path is moved to press the film.
However, there is a problem in that the technique disclosed in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 200130 of 1991 requires the film distal end detecting means and the activating means for spring charge by the loading of the film patrone and reliability is lacking because the structure is complicated and the distal end portion of the deflectable film is detected by the film distal end detecting means. Further, there is a problem in that the technique disclosed in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1622 of 1992 requires a space for arranging a motor driving means in the camera so that the camera becomes large in size, resulting in increasing cost, because the motor driving means for moving a magnetic head alone is activated when it is detected that the film is wound on the winding spool.
A film used in the camera of this type and having a magnetic record section which is formed in a stripe manner along the film traveling direction by coating or depositing, is not thin but has strong firmness. Therefore, it is difficult to fit the magnetic head to the magnetic record section and a device is required for fitting means of the magnetic head.
That is, as shown in FIG. 19, in a case of a very thin, and pliant and easily folded tape such as a magnetic tape for audio or a VTR, there is effective and in practice the means for sandwiching an audio magnetic tape 82 traveling in an arrow direction by a magnetic head 81 activated toward the tape 82 by a spring 84 and a pressing pad 83 disposed at a position opposite to the magnetic head 81 and activated toward the tape 82 by a spring 85, to fit a magnetic gap section 81a to the tape.
However, in a case of photograph film having a magnetic record section of a stripe manner, as shown in FIG. 17, because a film base is thick, i.e., the firmness of the film is great, an inflated portion is produced on the film in the film traveling direction so that the center of the magnetic gap section 71a is not coincident with that of the inflated portion of the stripe-shaped magnetic record section in the film 72 to cause a deviation x, after the film traveling in the arrow direction passes through the magnetic head 71 when there is provided an overgoing amount L by activating the magnetic head 71 by a spring 73. As a result, there is caused the problem that the fitness of the magnetic gap section 71a to the stripe-shaped magnetic record section of the film 72 becomes so poor that desired magnetic recording/reproducing cannot be achieved.
For this reason, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 168624 of 1991, there is proposed the technique in which a stripe-shaped magnetic record section of a film is sandwiched by a magnetic head and a pressing pad so that the fitness between the magnetic head and the film is increased and additionally harmful influence to a taken photograph because of a bent portion of the film is suppressed at a minimum. As shown in FIG. 18, in this technique the stripe-shaped magnetic record section of the film 72 which is guided by a film rail 76 in an arrow direction is sandwiched by the magnetic head 71 disposed at a position opposite to the magnetic head 71 and activated by a spring 73 toward the film 72 and a pressing pad 74 activated toward the film 72 by a spring 75 having elasticity which is not so strong and the elasticity of the spring 75 for activating the pressing pad 74 is set smaller than that of the spring 73 for activating the magnetic head 71.
However, even if the stripe-shaped magnetic record section of the film 72 is sandwiched by the magnetic head 71 and the pressing pad 74 and there is given a difference between the springs 73 and 75 in elasticity as described in the above Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 168624 of 1991, the deviation x between the center of the magnetic gap section 71a and that of the bent portion of the stripe-shaped magnetic record section in the film 72 cannot be eliminated because the firmness of the film is great as described above. In order to further eliminate the deviation x, if the elasticities of the spring 73 for activating the magnetic head and the spring 75 for activating the pressing pad are made large, the film traveling load is increased so that a new problem is caused such as the increasing of consumption of a battery, the prevention of the film from traveling at a constant speed and generation of damage on the film. In addition, because the film is sandwiched by the magnetic head and the pressing pad, many parts are required for the camera so that it is made difficult to reduce camera size.